The Sportsmen Act

The Sportsmen Act did not pass last weeks. Vaughn Collins, an important friend of sportsmen in Washington DC, and the government affairs director for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership said the bill needed 60 votes to secure a budget waiver on Monday, but only found 50 as Republican votes slipped away. They opposed it on a procedural point of order apparently related to an increase in the price of a duck stamp in the bill. If that strikes you as an odd reason to nuke such important conservation legislation. "We’re all fed up with congressional gridlock, but readers of this blog need to insist that senators compromise and reach a bipartisan agreement on the bill now. It’s already passed the House, but – as we all know from the incessant “fiscal cliff” turmoil – the congressional clock is ticking. If this package is to become law, it needs action within the next three weeks. Why support it? Here’s one big reason. It would give the Secretary of the Interior – in consultation with the Migratory Bird Commission – the authority to raise the price of a federal Duck Stamp. That hasn’t happened in decades, and given the onslaught of habitat destruction occurring across the nations wetlands it’s sorely needed. Those federal Duck Stamp dollars acquire lands across the Prairie Pothole Region for permanent wildlife habitat in the form of refuges and waterfowl production areas. A $15 stamp doesn't go as far anymore, especially in the era of $8-per-bushel corn." Rob Drieslein Your voice is needed on Capitol Hill to help push the Sportsmen's Act of 2012 across the finish line. Congress adjourns in just two weeks and we could miss our chance at passing one of the most important pieces of legislation sportsmen have seen in years. Please call your Senators’ offices today and tell the staff member who answers to urge Senator Tester and Senator Sessions to find a solution for the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 and pass it before time runs out. Click here to find out more.